Critical Strikes: Maximize your Damage Output!

[Khanxay]

Important stuff in bold, for those that don't read the entire original post. ^_^



Hi, I'm Khanxay and I play PSU on the 360. (Atm, August 11, 2008 I have a 73 Beast FF) I was just wondering if it was common knowledge that in AotI, you can time your weapon attacks to do 1.3 to sometimes 1.5ish times more damage than usual button mashing. Everytime I join a party, no one ever seems to know this. It doesn't seem common (at least in the 360 PSU) so I just... decided to write this.

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If you're confused, then lemme try explain using my fortefighter. Wearing a Gudda Skela with a 23% attribute on it (ice if you didn't know), He does about 300 damage per strike to a Booma (A Rank MAG event. I forget it's level) if I mash the standard attack button. I do 1200 damage.

Broken up into the actual hits of the 4 hit combo that's:
[First attack] + [Second] + [Third] = [Total]
300 * 2hits + 300 + 300 = 1200

To do a standard timed combo, you start with your first standard attack (No Button Mashing!), and the moment right before the attack's animation ends , you execute you next attack. You can also do this after your second attack but never after the last one.

If you do this right, you will visually see a spark (aura... I dunno what to call it.) emit from the center of you character along with a sound effect (one from PSO I might add)This is the what I call Critical Strikes and you can even time one right after you have blocked an attack and execute a Counter Strike.


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So if time my standard attacks, it would be:
[First attack] + [Second] + [Third] = [Total]
[300 * 2hits] + [300 * (1.5)] * [300 * (1.5)] = 1500


So what would be the point of learning to gain this extra 300 damage? Well, it is because this timing can also be applied to your PA Skills.**SEE NOTE AT END

Imagine an Anga Jabroga, level 40 PA hitting with it's 410% atp modifier and 10 hits. Now take that damage and multiply it by a potential 1.5... It's even better with Ikk Hikk. (Personally, I think this is the strongest PA in the game. Too bad Fighmaster doesn't use Knuckles...)

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To maximize damage, you would do a full combo of moves (This is assuming your PA Skill has three parts of course):

Standard Attack => Timed Standard => Timed Standard =>
Timed PA Skill => Timed second part of PA Skill => Timed Third

If you want to maximize DPS because of time constraints (monsters won't just there now will they?) you may shorten the combo:

Standard Attack => Timed PA Skill => Etcetera

And that's the jist of it. Really useful if you really want to show off the big numbers. Can you even mix it up! I usually do a Dus Majarra right in the middle of mob to get in quick, time the second part making the flurry of stabs strong and the survivers away with a timed finisher.


**NOTE: As far as I know Critical Strikes can only be done with standard attacks and PA Skills. But I've pulled off some* Counter Strikes with handguns, rifles, wands, and staffs, (*By accident of course, just like how I figured out critical strikes by opening boxes.) so there is still the possibility that this can be done with all PAs. But honestly, I can't really see that to be true with the machinegun...


Comments?

[Turb0]

I think most people who have been playing at least a few months know it, it was a kind of big deal back when AOI came out. Still, not a bad idea to have a sort of guide for it I guess. You can just counter with anything, but the hit only becomes a critical with striking weapons. And also, if you just attack normal attacks you gain more PP back than doing normal attacks as fast as possible.

[JAFO22000]

Are you talking about Just Attacking? Perhaps you are unaware that you cannot visually see if anyone else is doing it or not as only YOUR Just Attack will appear on your screen. Perhaps this is why you don't think others are using this option?

[Starrz]

Also Just Attack was implemented before AOTI was released. The visuals were the only thing missing, but the function was the same.

[ashley50]

ho-hum...

Old news is old.